Saturday showdown set for 6 p.m. at Dilboy

Saturday marks the second and final time the Breakers and New York Fury meet during the WPSL Elite regular season. The Breakers took a 2-1 win in Long Island in the teams’ first meeting back in May.

Saturday marks the second and final time the Breakers and New York Fury meet during the WPSL Elite regular season when the two teams square off at 6 p.m. at Dilboy Stadium. The Breakers took a 2-1 win in Long Island in the teams’ first meeting back in May. The Breakers enter the game with a 6-2 record and tied for first with the Chicago Red Stars, who play Friday night, while the Fury sit in third place with a 5-2-1 record.

"The Fury are a very good team, and we will need to be at our best on Saturday. We are excited to have our full team back and look forward to being in front of our home crowd again," Boston Breakers Head Coach Lisa Cole said. Shep (Katie Schoepfer) and Kyah (Simon) are really starting to develop a good relationship and are a handful for other teams defenses, while our back line has been improving under Cat (Whitehill)’s leadership. They will need to be good in this game, and I think the team that wins the midfield battle will have the advantage. We did that in the last matchup, and that made the difference."

Both teams bring a talented group to the field, including several former WPS players and a number of players with international experience, such as Breakers midfielder Heather O’Reilly, who is expected to make her Boston Breakers debut Saturday night. The Breakers are led by the duo of Simon and Schoepfer, who have combined for 13 of Boston’s 18 goals this season. Simon leads WPSL Elite with her seven goals. Combined with the two assists she has, Simon leads WPSL Elite in points as well.

In the final third, the Breakers’ defense, a combination that has included starters Whitehill, Taryn Hemmings, Elli Reed, Courtney Jones, and Julie King, have helped protect keeper Alice Binns. As a team, the Breakers have allowed just five goals and have kept the opposition to an average of five shots on goal through eight games.

The Fury bring some top talent to Dilboy, including U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder Tobin Heath, who is expected to play in her first game for the Fury this season. Along with Heath, the Fury have leading scorer and former Texas A&M star Merritt Mathias (five goals), former Philadelphia Independence teammates Nikki Krzysik, Sinead Farrelly, Leigh Ann Robinson, Estelle Johnson, and Gina DiMartino, as well as former Sky Blue FC defender Brittany Taylor, and Atlanta Beat forward Meg Lenczyk. Lenczyk, former FC Gold Pride midfielder Kim Yokers, and former University of Maryland star forward Jasmyne Spencer, all have two goals apiece this season.

Click here for the game notes, which includes both teams’ rosters for Saturday’s game and Boston’s projected lineup.